Let it Go! and a Pantry Challenge dilemma...

“Let it Go”, the infamous song from Frozen has been playing on a loop in my head for the last few days.  The packing has started, the plan being to get everything packed up and on and on its way, beginning its long journey across the Atlantic.

I do not need much at all these days. I am doing just fine, and Miles has what he needs and then some. I am moving to Ireland and moving soon.  So, as I have been known to say, get on with it!

I have packed and moved quite a bit in my life; my father once told me that he kept my address in pencil in his address book since I moved around so much.  The packing this time is different as I find myself looking at everything with a different eye, I am not moving to another part of the city, I am moving to another country.  I started the task of photographing and getting ready to list furniture last week.  The furniture is easy to let go as I have no true attachment to any of it, except for one piece that I am seriously on the fence about.  I went through all my books and surprisingly letting go of some of them was easier than I thought this time.  (My cookbook collection is coming with me). I did the right thing and put several boxes marked Free Books on the street. They were all gone in just two days. As I wait for the packing materials to arrive, I am looking at everything with a discerning eye, surprising myself as letting go of things is much easier than I thought.  Part of the adventure once in Ireland will be the fun of finding treasures together with the Irishman for Cedar House.  As far as I am concerned if the Irishman and Miles, aka Goppolini are there, I really do not need much more.

The walls on the extension have gone up and there is an opening that will be the kitchen window of my dreams, washing dishes will be glorious.  The interior walls will come tumbling down this week, yes that is a reference to a favorite Style Council song, and the new foundation floor gets poured.  The roof over the extension is going up as well and the Irishman and I have been looking at reclaimed Irish wood for the countertops and the island top. The Irishman is hanging in there, continuing to settle back into life at home.  Goppolini and I miss him, words cannot express how thankful and how much we are in awe of what he is doing at Cedar House before we get there, he truly is building our new home.  I say it often to the Irishman on one of our many video calls, but I will say it here for all to see, thank you. Your handling of the renovation of our new home is appreciated more than you will ever know.

As I looked around my apartment this week, I realized the pantry isn't the only thing that's beginning to show empty spaces. Shelves that once felt full now have room to breathe, books have found new homes, and furniture is waiting for its next chapter. It turns out letting go isn't about having less. It's about making room for what comes next. The pantry challenge began as a way to use what I already had, but somewhere along the way it became a lesson in leaving well.

This Week's Pantry Challenge

This week's surprise?

I'm discovering that spices may become the hardest part of this challenge. If I replace my favorite ones now, am I defeating the purpose of using what I already have?

It's become an unexpected pantry dilemma. The budget continues to hold steady at $25–$35 per week, proving that planning and intentional leftovers go much farther than impulse shopping.

This week's menu:

Overnight Oats

Oatmeal Apple Bread

Sweet Chili Sauce

Summer Rolls with Salmon & Beef

Ramen with Veggies

Spicy Miso Ramen with Salmon

Edamame Salad

Overnight Oats

I have an amazing amount of oats that I need to use up. While I do love hot oatmeal, I have become a big fan of overnight oats. Easy to make, delicious and you can add just about anything to them to make them your own.

½ c oats

½ c non fat Greek yogurt

½ c milk of choice (I use protein almond milk)

1 tbl chia seeds

1 tbl ground hemp seeds

dash honey

pinch cinnamon

splash vanilla

pinch salt

finish with any fruit and or nuts you have on hand

Add all ingredients into jar or container with a lid. Once mixed , refrigerate for at least 4 hours. When ready to eat, top with whatever you would like.

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Oatmeal Apple Bread

I had originally set out to make a loaf of Brown Bread, but I had a few sad looking apples in the fridge , so I made this loaf instead. This may not be for everyone. It is dense and not sweet, but I find it delicious, I slice a small bit when I just need something to go along with my afternoon tea.

3 eggs

¼ c neutral oil

¼ c honey or maple syrup

¼ c non fat Greek yogurt

1 c oats

1 c irish wheat flour or unbleached white flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

2 apples (chopped with skin)

2 tbl chia seeds

1 tbl sesame seeds

1 tbl pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven *350, grease and line a standard loaf pan.

Mix everything together and place in a prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.

Cool and store in the refrigerator.

Summer Rolls

Summer Rolls have quickly become part of my weekly rotation. They are a perfect way to use up produce and protein leftovers. This week I was craving Sweet Chili Sauce to go with them, but did want to buy any, so I made some and well, it is delicious.

• Rice Paper wrappers

• Lettuce

• Cucumbers

• Red Cabbage

• Carrots

• Cilantro

• Mint

• this week I used leftover steak that I added chili, coconut aminos and sesame oil to

• I also made some with roasted salmon

Sweet Chili Sauce

I will be honest, I did not measure this time, but when I make it again I will. The trick is to mix everything up in a sauce pan, allow to simmer till the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator.

mirin

water

agave

siracha

coconut aminos

garlic

ginger

sesame seeds

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Veggie Ramen Noodles and Spicy Miso Ramen with Salmon

The Irishman and I love Ramen. There was period of time when we would be known to meet up for ramen at least twice a week. I never made it for us at home, but thanks to Momofuku noodles in the Pantry I have started making ramen at home. I was able to stretch one package of noodles into two nights. The first night loaded up the chicken broth with veggies and hard boiled eggs and the next night made a spicy miso broth that I added salmon from freezer to.

Spicy Miso Broth

3 tbl miso paste

chilli crunch to taste

splash of toasted sesame oil

Add miso , chilli crunch and sesame oil to chicken or veggie stock, heat thru and add ramen noodles and vegetables.

Edamame Salad

This truly started as a salad that was just going to be cucumbers, cilantro and edamame. But I used it as clean out the produce shelf salad. Carrots, cabbage, peppers, mint and pumpkin seeds where added. The dressing was a splash of mirin, sesame oil and coconut aminos.

Bia maith leat. Bon Appetit. Spis godt